C-NS students bring magic to music with Kingsley and Shacklebolts

Rob Glass, a senior at Cazenovia High School, interviewed Connor Strader, lead vocalist and drummer for Kingsley and the Shacklebolts. For more band profiles, click the "Teen Music Scene" category. Suggest a band to profile..

Name of band: Kingsley and the Shacklebolts

Kingsley and the Shacklebolts

Music sample: This original song, "Just Like Potter" is from their album, The Order Of Wrock

Genre: "Wizard Rock, a genre in which bands write songs based upon the Harry Potter book series. Our music is a blend of post-punk and alternative indie."

How they came up with the band's name: "Kingsley Shacklebolt is the name of our favorite character in the Harry Potter series."

The band has been together since: February, 2008.

Professional experience Connor is self-taught on drums and has no prior voice training. Nick takes classical guitar lessons and Jake has a little experience but is mostly self-taught.

Inspiration for music: "Obviously our biggest inspiration for our music is the Harry Potter books. We are inspired by the characters and the things that happen to them each time we write a song. J.K. Rowling really is our main inspiration."

Artists/bands you admire: Harry and the Potters, The Remus Lupins, and The Nods.

Writing process: "Each time we write a song, I am usually in charge of writing the lyrics, so I literally sit on my bed and look through the Harry Potter books until an idea for a song comes to mind. Once the lyrics are written, I try to put a melody to each song so I have an idea of where I want to take it. We then meet together where Nick and Jake throw in their ideas for the songs and the finished product is a new song."

Where are they performing next? "Next for us is actually a show in New Jersey. We're playing at an event called Wizard's Ball which is hosted in Lodi, New Jersey. All the money made on tickets will benefit the Literacy Volunteers of America. The show is being hosted by Wizard and Witchcraft Entertainment."